This invention relates to household refrigerators of the type in which an above freezing and a below freezing storage compartments are cooled by an evaporator positioned in a self-contained module and more particularly to the method of pre-assembling a cooling and air circulating module which is adapted to cool both compartments by circulating air in a predetermined ratio between compartments.
In some prior art refrigerators, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,299-Gelbard assigned to the General Electric Company, the assignee of the present invention, a refrigerator is provided including two compartments, one of which is maintained at a temperature above freezing for storage of fresh foods and the other of which is maintained at a temperature below freezing for storage of frozen foods is cooled by air circulated over an evaporator disposed outside the compartments. The evaporator comprises a metal plate having a cooling element mounted thereon in heat exchange relationship. The evaporator is positioned in the cabinet in such a manner that the cooling element is disposed in a first passage and air is circulated over the cooling element and then in proportioned amounts to the aforementioned compartments. To reduce the amount of frost collected on the cooling element, a second passage is provided in the refrigerator cabinet adjacent the opposite side of the plate from that on which the cooling element is mounted. Moist air returning from the fresh food compartment is caused to circulate through this second passage in contact with the aforementioned plate so that a substantial amount of moisture in this air deposits on the plate as frost before the air reaches the first passage and the cooling element. The plate is spaced from the rear inner wall of the refrigerator to form the second passage between the plate and the inner wall of the refrigerator. The warm air circulating through the second passage which is disposed adjacent a substantial portion of the rear inner wall of the refrigerator reduces heat leakage from the exterior of the refrigerator to the interior of the refrigerator.
In accordance with the present invention, a construction is provided wherein the cooling or low side portion of the refrigeration system, including the cooling element and air circulating means for supplying cooled air to separate compartments of the refrigerator, are incorporated in a pre-assembled module which is adapted to be located in the refrigerator cabinet.